Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times and the Critique of Industrialization

Introduction: Chaplin and the Age of Modernity

With industrialization came a whole slew of social, economic, and political problems in America. Migration increased as people from other parts of the world came to the land of the free seeking opportunities. Urban squalor increased as those opportunities were loaded with pitfalls and traps. Machines replaced human labor in many ways, and people without skills often went without work. Most movies in Hollywood at the time focused on providing distractions from all these problems: the silent films of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd did not delve into social commentary on the problem of modernity. But one comic actor of the silent era did produce films that could be called critiques of modern times — in fact, he even starred in a film entitled Modern Times that both lamented modernization and drew attention to "class disadvantage."¹ That actor was Charlie Chaplin.

Chaplin used a light form of humor in filmmaking to aid in government and industrialization satire. He poked fun through his films at how modernization and automation were not best for the average citizen.² Ultimately, Chaplin's point of view and concerns over the culture of dehumanizing industries were conveyed in a comical yet truthful manner.

Why Chaplin Critiqued Modern Times

What set Chaplin apart from others, and why did he critique modernity in films like Modern Times? One explanation is that Chaplin recognized the threat to his own career that modernity represented: the first "talkie" film, The Jazz Singer, came out in 1927 and threatened to revolutionize cinema.³ Chaplin produced silent comedies and was a silent film star. If "talkies" took over Hollywood, his celebrity and status would be displaced by others. Thus, one reason Chaplin critiqued modernity was that he took it personally as a threat.

At the same time, Chaplin was an actor, producer, writer, and director who knew how to give audiences what they wanted. He saw that jazz was very popular with audiences and had widespread appeal during the Great Depression because it enlivened things and brought joy to people's lives.⁴ People wanted distraction during a time when so many were downtrodden. It was the Great Depression in America when Chaplin was at his greatest, and he produced light-hearted comedies centered on his "tramp" persona — a destitute, penniless, clownish character who was often in over his head facing some predicament but who tended to come out on top in the end.

Chaplin also understood how audiences were specifically affected by the Great Depression. Many people in America had lost jobs, homes, and loved ones, and were in despair. He knew that one of the big causes of all this loss was the people leading the nation. The barons of industry had put profits before people, and it was now hurting society. As a writer, Chaplin wanted to reflect common people's own issues in film but in a light manner so that the comedies could still give people some enjoyment and take them out of their pain for a moment.⁵

Works Cited

Berish, Andrew. "Great Depression, the." Grove Music Online. 25 Jul. 2013.

Crook, Tim. "Vocalizing the Angels of Mons: Audio Dramas as Propaganda in the Great War of 1914 to 1918." Societies 4, no. 2 (2014): 180–221. ProQuest.

Faure, Elie. "The Art of Charlie Chaplin." New England Review (1990–) 19, no. 2 (spring 1998): 146–151. JSTOR.

Howe, Lawrence. "Charlie Chaplin in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: Reflexive Ambiguity in 'Modern Times.'" College Literature 40, no. 1 (winter 2013): 45–65. JSTOR.

Kuriyama, Constance Brown. "Chaplin's Impure Comedy: The Art of Survival." Film Quarterly 45, no. 3 (spring 1992): 26–38. JSTOR.

Weissman, Stephen M. "Charlie Chaplin's Film Heroines." Film History 8, no. 4 (1996): 439–445. JSTOR.